Clear Saved Passwords From Your Devices Guide

Why Your Saved Passwords Matter More Than You Think

Most of us have been there: a website asks if we want to save our password, and we click "yes" without thinking twice. It's convenient. It's one less thing to remember. But convenience comes with a hidden cost that many people don't consider until it's too late.

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When you save a password in your browser or phone, you're creating a digital record of sensitive information. That record sits on your device, waiting. If someone gains access to your phone, laptop, or tablet—through theft, borrowing, or a security breach—they have a direct pathway into your accounts. It's like leaving your house keys under the doormat: sure, you know where they are, but so might someone else.

The statistics paint a sobering picture. According to cybersecurity surveys, approximately 60% of people reuse passwords across multiple accounts. This means one compromised password isn't just one problem—it's a domino effect waiting to happen. If a hacker accesses your saved passwords on one device, they could potentially enter your email, banking, shopping, and social media accounts. Each one of those accounts might contain personal information, payment methods, or access to even more sensitive data.

Your saved passwords create another vulnerability: they're often stored in an unencrypted or weakly encrypted format, especially in browsers. While companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft have improved their security over the years, the reality is that determined attackers have methods to extract stored passwords from devices. Even if you trust your device today, you might not trust who has access to it tomorrow.

Takeaway: Before clearing your saved passwords, understand that this step protects you from unauthorized access if your device is ever compromised. It's not about paranoia—it's about removing an easy entry point that criminals often exploit.

How Passwords Get Stored Across Different Devices

Not all saved passwords are created equal. Different devices and platforms store them in different ways, which means the process for clearing them varies. Understanding where your passwords live is the first step toward securing them.

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On Windows computers, your browser (typically Chrome, Edge, or Firefox) stores passwords in its own vault. Windows itself also maintains password storage through Windows Credential Manager, which remembers login information for websites and network resources. If you've ever connected to a WiFi network and saved the password, or logged into Windows with a Microsoft account, those credentials are stored somewhere in your system.

Mac users face a similar situation. Safari maintains its own password storage, while passwords entered into other applications often get stored in the macOS Keychain—a master password manager built into the operating system. If you've synced your Mac with your Apple account, some of those passwords may also exist in iCloud.

Mobile devices add another layer. iPhone and iPad users who enable iCloud Keychain have their passwords synced across all their Apple devices. Android phones store passwords through Google Account if you're signed in. When you open Chrome on Android and visit a website you've previously saved credentials for, Android's autofill feature may populate those login details automatically.

Then there's the cloud dimension. If you use a password manager like LastPass, 1Password, Dashlane, or Bitwarden, your saved passwords live on company servers as well as on your devices. Some browsers now include password managers as built-in features. Microsoft Edge has a password generator and storage system. Chrome syncs passwords to your Google Account if you're logged in.

The complication is real: your password for Netflix might be saved in your browser, your Gmail account might be remembered in your phone's settings, and your banking login might exist in both your password manager and your device's autofill system. This distributed storage means clearing saved passwords requires checking multiple locations.

Takeaway: Before you start clearing passwords, identify which devices you use and which storage systems they rely on. Make a quick mental inventory: What browsers do you use? Are you signed into Google, Apple, or Microsoft accounts? Do you use a password manager? This awareness prevents you from missing passwords stored in unexpected places.

Clearing Saved Passwords on Windows Devices

Windows computers store passwords in at least two places: your web browser(s) and Windows Credential Manager. Clearing them both ensures you've removed the main password storage points on your machine.

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For Chrome on Windows: Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner. Select "Settings," then go to "Autofill and passwords" in the left menu. You'll see "Password Manager" listed. Click it, then look for "Passwords" on the left sidebar. You'll see a list of all saved passwords with the websites they belong to. Click the three dots next to each password and select "Remove." Alternatively, to clear all passwords at once, go back to Settings, click "Privacy and security," select "Clear browsing data," check the box for "Passwords," set the time range to "All time," and click "Clear data."

For Microsoft Edge: The process is nearly identical. Click the three-dot menu, go to "Settings," select "Privacy, search, and services," scroll down to "Clear browsing data," and choose what to clear. You can also go to "Passwords" in the left menu to view and delete individual saved passwords.

For Firefox on Windows: Click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-right. Go to "Settings," then "Privacy & Security." Scroll to "Logins and Passwords" and click "Saved Logins." A window will open showing all your saved passwords. Select the ones you want to remove and click the "Remove" button, or remove all by clicking "Remove All."

For Windows Credential Manager: This is where passwords for network connections and some applications are stored. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type "control /name Microsoft.CredentialManager" and press Enter. The Credential Manager window will open, showing "Web Credentials" and "Windows Credentials" tabs. Click "Web Credentials" to see website passwords stored by Windows itself. Click on any entry and select "Remove from vault." Do the same for Windows Credentials if needed.

Takeaway: Don't forget Credential Manager—many people clear their browser passwords but miss this system-level storage. Checking both locations ensures you've actually removed your saved passwords from your Windows machine.

Clearing Saved Passwords on Apple Devices

Apple's ecosystem spans iPhones, iPads, and Macs, and passwords can be synchronized across all of them through iCloud Keychain. Clearing passwords on one device might not clear them everywhere, so understanding this system matters.

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On iPhone and iPad: Open the Settings app and scroll down to find "Passwords" (in newer iOS versions) or "Accounts & Passwords" (in older versions). Tap "Passwords" and authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. You'll see a list of all saved passwords for websites and apps. Swipe left on any password entry and tap "Delete." To remove all passwords at once isn't as straightforward—you'll need to delete them individually or use the nuclear option described below.

On Mac: The primary storage is Safari's password vault. Open Safari, go to "Preferences" (or "Settings" on newer macOS versions), click the "Passwords" tab, authenticate with your Mac password or biometric ID, and you'll see your saved passwords. Select any password and click the minus (-) button to remove it. You can also select multiple passwords by holding Command and clicking each one before deleting.

Keychain on Mac: Some passwords are stored in the macOS Keychain rather than directly in Safari. Open "Keychain Access" by going to Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access. Search for the password entries you want to remove (often they'll be labeled with the website name), select them, and press Delete or right-click and select "Delete."

iCloud Keychain consideration: If you use iCloud Keychain and have multiple Apple devices, clearing passwords on one device might not clear them from others immediately due to sync delays. If you're trying to remove all saved passwords from your iCloud ecosystem, you may need to clear them from each device individually, or you can turn off iCloud Keychain entirely in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Keychain (tap it to